Cambodia 2007, Bateay Kdei

Banteay Kdei 2007-1-12

Workers were marking the position of each stone

After Ta Prohn, we went to see Banteay Kdei temple. The first thing we saw was the large man made pond Srah Srang which was exclusively for the use of the royal family. Some crews were carefully measuring and documenting the position of each stone probably in preparation for some repairing works. They used tube filled with water to measure the vertical position of each objects (stones). This reminded me of the leveling work in hydrography experimented in Bangladesh. One of the workers carried an umbrella, he must be the boss. There were many lion sculptures and benches with naga heads on the landing. The naga head sculptures here were unique and all had the garuda face. It was the same inside the temple complex. 

The gopura at the 3rd enclosure

The garuda face naga

Lion and naga sculptures in front of the 3rd gapura

A dewata carrying a sword

The temple was surrounded by a low pink colour laterite stone walls. It was the east wall  the 4th enclosure, and it had a towering gopura with a similar face in the four sides of the tower like in the Bayon temple. We were in the 4th courtyard after passing the face gopura. There were many large trees and a low causeway with scatter remains of its balusters. The causeway ended in an elevated terrace with many lions sculptures and garuda face naga with their body extended as benches. There was a cruciform gapura on the terrace. The main entrance of this gopura had a column portico and was accessible by a raised platform from the terrace. Its pediment was decorated with many dancing apsara. On both of its side were three large square windows and a side door, and the facade was filled with the bas-reliefs of dewata. The dewata in this temple were all less than life size and their head dress were simpler and pointy conical shape. One of the bas-reliefs was a dewata carrying a long sword and standing like advarapala. The pediment on the side entrance was decorated by many kneeling figures.

The elevated causeway and libray

The wall of the 3rd enclosure beside the gopura was not in good shape. The gopura had a longer rear portico lead to a causeway in the 3rd courtyard. The causeway was elevated over a meter high and had naga balusters. The library was very close to the causeway, and its platform was on the same level as the surface of the causeway. The causeway was short and soon we were in front of the 2nd cruciform  gopura with portico. It was similar but smaller than that on the 3rd enclosure that we had just passed, and  had only two windows on each side. The roof structures were mostly gone, and showed only the corbelled stone on its top.

The dancing apsara 

Beyond this 2nd gopura was another courtyard where there was a building with many pillars. According to guide books, it was called The Hall of the Dancers but I had only one photo showing two smiling dancing apsara in large bas-reliefs. 

The top of the main tower

The main temple complex was made up of three rows of galleries or corridors running in east-west direction, and they were crossed by another three rows running in north-south direction. Four galleries on the four sides was walled and formed the inner closure. And the remaining two crossed and formed a cruciform corridor with a dorminant central tower at its centre. The top of the central tower had been bundled in thick steel wire to prevent any further deterioration or disintegration of rocks that made up the tower structure. There were eight gopura in the main temple complex: four at the corner and four at the middle of the inner enclosure. The roof of the corridor was low and supported by thick and short pillars. All towers had a lotus top.

We exit the main temple complex through the gate of a gapura and walked on the causeway. It lead us to another gopura similar to that of the gopura on the east wall of the 3rd enclosure that we had passed.

A hut for the workers in the temple courtyard

In the courtyard we saw a hut where the workers lived. This was the only temple where we saw workers lived inside.

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